Sacrifices
by stress
Summary: Complete. Henry had to make many sacrifices to get what he wanted. Some of them were just more difficult than others -- an exploration of certain character's last moments. Spoilers from Episode 8 through 13; features mentions of one-sided Henry/Abby.
1. the black sheep

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of CBS and are only used for fan related purposes. Any recognizable dialogue from the series included is used only to further the story._

--

**Sacrifices**

--

He slips through the darkness, alert and on guard. Like a hunter stalking his prey, he catches sight of his (adopted) brother and quickly follows behind. J.D. is just as reckless as he anticipated him being—given the opportunity to break out of the holding cells, he's off like a shot, heading straight for the docks.

He's positioned perfectly to go after him. Having already shaken off the others, he's comforted by the weight of the knife in his pocket. He's ready for this; he's claimed this death, urged on by his father to purge himself of any reminders of the lie of a life he's always known.

J.D. Dunn is his to kill.

He manages to sneak up behind him as J.D. is preparing to climb into a boat. So intent on his escape, he doesn't notice he's not alone anymore—or maybe he does, but he knows he has nothing to fear from his older brother.

It only takes another step and a quick slash of Henry's knife for J.D. to understand just how wrong he is.

Like a fish, he's gutted but the strike is not _instantly _fatal. He stumbles, already feeling weak as the heat of his blood seems to burn him. He begins to fall forward and he waits for the impact that he won't feel in a few seconds.

The impact doesn't come.

Hatred is a remarkable thing. It's overpowering, all consuming and absolutely dangerous in desperate and dangerous man. But, for all its strength, it crumbles against the might of love. And, despite his father's words and his father's determination and his father's _training_, Henry can't help but react when his kid brother falls.

With the same hands that split him open, he steadies the fading J.D., lying him down along the lengths of the docks. Their eyes meet in that moment, J.D.'s glassy and Henry's glazed over with some kind of moisture; he feels something worm its way through the anger and the hate and is surprised to discover it's remorse.

It's _guilt_.

Roughly, he pushes the sensation away as he stands up. His knife is still in his hand and, out of some instinct—or maybe some animalistic desire to be the one to survive—he's poised to finish the kill. J.D.'s eyes, straining and struggling as he wheezes and spits, never leave Henry's face.

"Henry?" he whispers, his words mixed with a gurgle and a groan. "Why?"

Henry blinks back the wet, momentarily stunned as his hands stay raised. He would've thought the answer was obvious.

His voice is thick and he hiccups, but still he whispers her name. Caressing each syllable lovingly, Henry tells J.D. why he's going to die:

"Abby. I did this for her."

J.D. says nothing else. He's ready for death, and he's even grateful that it's Henry who's given him his freedom. He won't tell—if there was even anyone to confess it to at all—but, strangely enough, he understands.

The grip on his knife tightens but the blade won't go any further. He blames it on the sweat stinging his eyes—it has to be sweat because it couldn't possibly be tears… could it?—when he can't finish the job before Abby stumbles on the scene.

--

_It's you, Abby… it's all about you…_

* * *

Author's Note: _Well, I've been meaning to do something like this since last week. With all the poignant deaths that made up the series finale, I thought it might be interesting to explore a handful of character's last moments. This fic is going to be a collection of five or so shorts, each one focusing on another murder at Henry's hands. I don't want to give any other details away but I have almost the entire thing done and updates should be fairly quickly until all of the shorts are up. I hope you enjoy them!_


	2. the bride

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of CBS and are only used for fan related purposes. Any recognizable dialogue from the series included is used only to further the story._

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**Sacrifices**

--

After J.D., he's understandably hesitant. His father, in a rare act of compassion reserved only for his son, agrees to kill the girl for him in his stead. They discuss a plan and together they are confident it will succeed without any failure this time; time is short, besides. Wakefield will knock at the door and he will depart, leaving his hapless fiancée to be the next victim.

But nothing goes according to plan—or, at least, not to Henry's plan; somehow, he thinks, what happens next is all part of his father's elaborate scheme.

Something goes wrong and Trish—he should've given her more credit—she gets away. In bare feet and running in the tight wedding dress she wasn't meant to wear, she dodges Wakefield and flees into the woods. Recalling him to their aims, his father barks an order for him to cut her off, and he obeys without question.

He arrives at the other end of her panicked flight, ready to receive her trembling body in his open arms. He likes acting the part of the savior—Richard Allen beat him to it at the poolside but a harpoon through his chest took care of any further heroic intentions—but it's his role as her betrayer that he's come here to play.

She runs right into his arms, oblivious to the fact that she should have just kept running.

He's certain he loved Trish once, he thinks as her fear and her relief leads her to tell him she loves him, but, even so, it pales in every way to the adoration he feels for Abby. A flickering flame compared to a roaring fire… and it's time for the candle to be snuffed out.

He hardens himself for the act by confessing, by finally being honest with her. It's like he's cleansing his soul of the bloodshed that covers him, tainting him; it's the same thing as wiping his knife clean after every kill.

It's simpler than he thought it would be, despite the horror reflected in her big brown eyes. It's only when her expected cries of denial anger him and her feeble attempt to escape annoys him that he forgets himself and he snaps.

Like the antiquated stereotype of a man, he pulls her hair and he pulls her back to him. He knows what has to be done and, once she's back in his arms, he does it.

Her last gasp of air revives him and, the bloodlust fading, Henry realizes just _what_ he has done—what he has meant to do since the day he asked a naïve young woman to be his bride.

He really had wanted to give her her wedding day first…

With his father as a witness, he holds onto his (former) fiancée as she dies. He's murmuring something over and over again—"_it's not fair_"—and it doesn't matter who hears. But Wakefield is too far away and Trish too far gone and only Henry is left with another dead body of someone he once thought he loved.

--

_You killed them. You killed my father, and JD… You bastard… you bastard, you bastard! Why?_

* * *

Author's Note: _This was probably -- after the death scene in the end of the eleventh episode -- my favorite death in the series (And how morbid does that sound? My favorite death scene? Ah, I love this show). For Trish to have donned her wedding dress only to have the man she wanted to marry end her life... it gave me chills. I only hoped to show the emotion Henry must have felt during that moment. I'm actually in the middle of working on a plotbunny that focuses on Trish's point of view -- keep an eye out for that soon -- and it was interesting to write Henry's vignette before tackling a much longer, more detailed Trish-centric fic. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this ficlet!_


	3. the best man

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of CBS and are only used for fan related purposes. Any recognizable dialogue from the series included is used only to further the story._

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**Sacrifices**

--

He's always been a fantastic actor and an exceptional liar. He had to be. How else could he have convinced Trish that he loved her, or that he was overly concerned about J.D.? How else could he have hidden his feelings from Abby all these years or the truth that, not only was Wakefield alive, but he's his son?

How else could he have made Sully think that he still considered him his best friend?

In the wake of learning that Sully—_Sully!_—has risked his life so that Madison and Shea Allen can escape, Henry forgets his encompassing fury that this (all along) coward has loused up his plans. He lets his façade slip for just a second. Laughing in barely disguised amusement, he says, "I'm impressed. Seriously. That is quite possibly the _stupidest_ thing you've ever done."

And Sully, too scared himself and needing to believe in his boyhood friend, only looks at him quizzically before allowing his attention to be stolen by the voice coming in through the blasted radio.

With him standing right there, ignorant and just too trusting as he plans a rescue he'll never see, Henry removes the ammunition from Sully's shotgun and decides that, for this kill, he is going to enjoy himself.

He's all smiles and false hope as he follows Sully through the trees, theorizing about (and almost outright confessing to be) Wakefield's child. It's only when he realizes how lost he is, how far from the marina the middle of the woods are, that Sully begins to actually listen to what Henry is saying.

It's amusing, watching as realization slowly dawns on him. He's already shaking his head in denial as Henry cheerfully numbers his victims. Reverend Fain, Richard Allen, Katherine Wellington… J.D.. _Trish_. He's pleading with him to stop even as he raises his worthless gun in a nonsensical threat.

Henry has to work hard not laugh when Sully, looking at the two rounds revealed to be hidden in the cup of his palm, seems to be on the verge of near-hysterical tears.

But it's the bravado that Sully musters when he's told that Wakefield is standing behind him that reinforces Henry's desire to do this. Before Sully can do anything but accept that the Henry Dunn he thought he knew doesn't exist anymore, Wakefield is holding him tight and Henry has lunged.

He finds it cruelly ironic that he stabs Sully in the back with his knife. But, as he twists the blade and watches his supposed best friend die, he can't help but offer one last parting shot,

"You never should have dogged Trish."

Just because he killed her, it doesn't make her any less his.

_--_

_How stupid do you think I am?_

* * *

Author's Note: _Ah, poor Sully. That really was a horrible way for him to go -- right after he decides to stop being so guarded, then he risks his own life so that Madison and Shea can escape, he's told by his best friend that he's a murder... and then he's killed. I was basically screaming at my tv when that happened but, I definitely had to agree with Henry: that was pretty stupid of him. Hopefully we'll get to see more of him in fanfic now. He was a great character that grew towards the end of the series._


	4. the legend

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of CBS and are only used for fan related purposes. Any recognizable dialogue from the series included is used only to further the story._

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**Sacrifices**

--

Assuming the role of Trish's grieving fiancé, he purposely leads Jimmy and Abby out of the trees. His plan—his father's plan—is in its last stages and Wakefield has already brought Trish's body to the church. He's following the obvious trail, leading the last victims to their death.

Or something like that.

The tears he cries when he sees the way that Wakefield has displayed Trish's body are real, the anger even more terrifyingly so. For all their bonds, through their blood and that spilt by countless others, the two men have never fully agreed on one thing.

His father thinks you have to kill everyone you love in order to be free and Henry, he believes that to an extent. His love for Trish has led him to take her life—but this mockery, her body splayed out on the altar as a sacrifice, it strikes him deep. For a heartbeat, until Abby's sincere regrets remind him that his love for her is even greater than his anger, he forgets himself.

He remembers just in time for his father to enter the church and attack Jimmy.

It's all part of the plan. Like J.D., Abby Mills has been given to him by John Wakefield to kill.

And then the Coast Guard arrives—the whir of the helicopter blades above is resounding—and all he can hear is Jimmy—_Jimmy_, Henry seethes—yelling for Abby to run. She listens, and is gone before Wakefield orders him to follow.

Henry doesn't need his father's order. He would follow Abby anywhere.

He doesn't know what takes place back at the church—he doesn't care—because, when he finds Abby, he's stumbled upon the girl in the middle of fearing for that damn Jimmy; he never fully understood why his father let him live in the first place. He tells her what he's hoping is the truth—"_Wakefield got him_"—and he stalls her by asking one question he never should have asked.

His question provides her with the something that has been bothering her since she left the boathouse; his question proves to be the one misstep he's made. The flare hanging limply in her hand, her brow furrowed as she starts to see what she's been missing, she finds the holes in his story and quickly, quietly, she's demanding answers.

He still hasn't found the words to deny the truths she is implying when Wakefield—without Jimmy, Henry notes in jealous relief—arrives like a phantom behind her. Stealthy and silent, he nods at Henry. This is what they've been waiting for.

This is what John Wakefield has been waiting seven years for.

His knife is already in his hand, the blade released from its spring, and he brings it out in front of him. "It's okay. It's over," he tells her honestly before pushing her safely to the side.

The point of his knife finds its home in Wakefield's heart without a second thought.

He didn't understand, Henry tells himself as his father stares up at him in dying disbelief. The master killed by the apprentice, and he doesn't understand. He calls his son's name, the knife digs a little deeper, and Henry feels the tears return.

But Wakefield never understood, he knows. Love isn't a crime to be paid for in blood. It's something wonderful. When you find it, Henry believes, you have to do everything you can to hold onto it.

Like murdering an entire wedding party—and the only family you ever had—for the one girl you want to be yours forever…

_--_

_H-Henry…_

* * *

Author's Note: _Here's the fourth ficlet in this set. I found it interesting to write about Wakefield and Henry's relationship, and maybe wonder what really went on behind their elaborate plan. In fact, it seems like something that could be further explored... eventually ;) Until then, there's only one more chapter left to this. It should be up fairly soon. Thanks, as always, for reading!_


	5. the end

Disclaimer: _The characters in this story are the property of CBS and are only used for fan related purposes. Any recognizable dialogue from the series included is used only to further the story._

--

**Sacrifices**

--

It's hard to change from killer and back so quickly. His father's voice echoing in his ears, he's still running on pure adrenaline when Abby—bless her, she always saw the best in him—finally pieces the puzzle together and sees him for who he really is.

A _murderer_.

"It's you…"

It didn't hurt him half as much when Trish looked at him that same way.

She backs up a few steps before turning to run and suddenly the killer is back in control. Faster than she ever would've expected, his hands are rough and she's tossed to the ground as easily as if she were a doll. It isn't a strike with murderous intent—quite the opposite, in fact.

He's prepared to protect Abby from the world. But first… first he has to protect her from herself. She's afraid, she's confused and she's just witnessed him commit a murder. She's in no state to listen to reason, to understand what has happened all in her name.

Henry had to put her to sleep, for her own good. He knows he would never intentionally hurt her.

He loves her too much to ever hurt her…

Tucking her off to the side, caressing her dark hair with a trembling hand before he leaves, he wipes away the tears that he shed for the loss of his father. Rational and in charge of emotions once more, he tends to Wakefield's body.

His mind focused on the church and the scene he must stage, he manages to convince himself that she needs her rest. That's why he sent her sprawling to the ground, out of harm's way and safe from the second stages of his plan, of course. He has Abby now; it's up to him to claim Harper's Island for them both.

Wakefield died with his eyes open, accusing and betrayed. Henry refuses to meet them as he hooks his arms under the corpse. He's heavy, still warm, and it's easy to pretend he's alive. He's cheated death one time before, Henry thinks in skewed pride.

But not this time. With a grunt and a renewed determination as he spares one more glance towards his beloved, Henry begins to drag John Wakefield's body towards his final resting place. The matches are already in his pocket and he's ready to begin a new life.

He followed his father, but he worships Abby. In time, when it's just the two of them together on the island—when she's seen everything he's done for her, how much he's _sacrificed _for her—she'll understand. His Abby is loving and forgiving; she wouldn't kill Wakefield when she had the chance, and she loves him more than she ever hated his father.

In time she'll learn to love him as more than just her best friend.

As more than just her brother.

_Time_…

They'll have all the time in the world together—

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_Abby… I love you._

--

—or not.

* * *

_fin_

* * *

_Author's Note: Well, I guess that's that. I had a ball working on these shorts and I hope you, as the reader, liked them as much as I do. I got the idea from an interview I read with Christopher Gorham and Elaine Cassidy where he said that he believed that J.D., Trish and Wakefield were the hardest to kill; Sully, he added, was for fun. I definitely agreed with his interpretation and I tried my best to put that across in these handful of ficlets. Let me know if I succeeded ;) And thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and read, or even reviewed. I thrive on feedback and I appreciate everything I've been told. You guys are awesome!_

_-- stress._


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